A young North Belfast boy with complex needs is constantly "screaming in agony" in hospital as he awaits treatment for a blocked bowel.
Non-verbal and autistic five-year-old Rossa Hughes was admitted to hospital two weeks ago after suffering with severe constipation for weeks and complaining of pain.
Mum Seimone Burgoyne feels her son has been failed with regards to his treatment and that she had taken him to A&E numerous times in recent weeks looking for help for Rossa, only for him to be sent home.
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She says that she was told on a number of occasions that her son's special needs had been causing the problems and that she was outraged when she eventually discovered that he had a severely blocked bowel.
She says that her son has not been able to eat properly in days and is still waiting for a treatment plan despite being in hospital for two weeks. Seimone claims that her son is in need of urgent surgery but this has not been able to take place for a number of factors, including staff being off for bank holidays.
Speaking to Belfast Live, the concerned mum said: "I think the way that my son has been treated in the past few weeks has been horrendous and he should have never been allowed to get into this position where he is constantly screaming out in pain.
"For weeks we had been going to the hospital saying that there was an issue with his bowel and that he needed help, but we were always sent home with laxatives and other medicines and don't think we were ever taken seriously.
"Because of Rossa's complex needs, it seems that doctors have been more interested in them, than actually trying to find out what the problem has been.
"We were told numerous times that there was nothing actually wrong with him and I was horrified to discover after an X-ray that he has a severe blockage in his bowel.
"Since then it feels like we are being ignored and I am being told over and over again that a plan is being developed for his treatment, but nothing seems to be happening and his condition is getting worse every single day.
"He needs urgent surgery in order to remove this blockage but we are being told that there are no surgeons available and that staff being off over the weekend and Bank Holidays has been a factor in this.
"It has been such a traumatic ordeal for our whole family because it is heartbreaking to watch him cry out in pain like this. Rossa is non-verbal but he has even managed to start shouting 'help' because he is in such distress and lost over a kilo in weight in just the past few days.
"Our son is in need of urgent treatment and we cannot understand why things are taking so long and why he is just being left here to get worse and worse."
The Belfast Trust has said that it is working with Rossa and his family and that his care is of "paramount importance".
A Belfast Health and Social Care Trust spokesperson said: "Belfast Trust would like to reassure Seimone Burgoyne that the wellbeing and health of her son Rossa is of paramount importance to us.
"We strive to ensure all of our patients and service users receive safe, effective and compassionate care.
"We acknowledge the deep concern felt by Ms Burgoyne and whilst we cannot go into the details of an individual’s care, we will continue to liaise with Rossa’s family directly."
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